For pictures and more: https://www.webworm.co/p/pureunadulteratedcharge

Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”. Connor Ratliff had been up for a small part in episode five, and while it wasn’t a major role — at the time, for an up and coming actor, it felt like everything. On my re-listen over the weekend, something Connor and Tom Hanks said leapt out at me, as they reflected on what had happened in an audition room in the late 90s, and the critically acclaimed podcast decades later:

Connor: It’s been such a gift because we never would have arrived at this place if I had not had my little show business nightmare. It’s been a real lesson in terms of even a negative experience sometimes being the thing that is ultimately more rewarding than if I’d just had a lovely time for a day on Band of Brothers.

Tom: Well, isn’t that the serendipity that you must have faith in. There is a type of seasoning of “who knows what is going to happen!” — of pure unadulterated charge — that moves stuff along somehow. And it never stops happening.

That little bit leapt out to me because I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the forces that shape our lives, and how much control we have over them. And what that means about how we live our lives, and interact with others.

How we measure our success, and how we measure our failure

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit webworm.substack.com/subscribe